


The Slaying of Adam Giles

by Erring_and_umming



Category: Young Dracula (TV)
Genre: Adam!AU, Slayer!Vlad, Slayers, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:20:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23966038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erring_and_umming/pseuds/Erring_and_umming
Summary: Vlad was never adopted by The Count and has grown up without the knowledge of his vampiric heritage and under the name Adam. After a tragic death, the family moves to Stokely so Adam can train to become a slayer and fulfill his father's final wish of him carrying on the family tradition. His skills are unparalleled and he thirsts for revenge against the creatures who took his father away from him, but things are changing that he can't control.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. The First

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is a fresh idea that came after watching Season 5. I feel like maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I quite liked season 5? It wasn't my favourite but I REALLY loved the family moments between Sally, George and Vlad. It really broke my heart to see Vlad so close to everything he had ever wanted ya know. 
> 
> So I decided to write a fic where I tear it all away from him just in a completely different way. 
> 
> Enjoy!

His breaths came in huffs as he vaulted over a fallen tree, the damp moss nearly causing him to slip and his feet squelched into the dirt. The moon hung like a ripe fruit above him, heavy and yellow with the harvest, allowing him to find his path easily enough.

He loved the hunt, the thrill of it sung through his veins and his heart soared with delight as his legs propelled him further. The trees blurring around him, their spindly arms grasping at his t-shirt tearing the fabric.

The wind howled in triumph and his eyes landed on his prize ahead amongst the shadows of the trees. He pushed himself harder, sweat slicked his forehead and ran into his mouth, leaving him tasting salt. The familiar wooden stake fell into his hand with practiced ease, its weight leaving him calm as he felt victory in his grasp.

The figure ahead turned in a swirl of shadow and midnight hair, the creature had seen him, eyes wide as he descended upon her. He held his stake high, “Please!” the creature begged as he snarled, pushing the monster into ground using the creature’s shock to topple them.

In a graceful arch the stake descended, blood rushed in his ears as it pierced the heart of the prone figure beneath him. The look of shock upon the girl’s face quickly disintegrated into ash.

He panted, as he sat in the remains of the beast, his hands covered in dust. He smeared them across his pants as he stood.

“Well done slayer!” the jubilance of Mr. Van Helising radiated from him as he switched on his torch, climbing from the tent. His claps echoed through the empty forest, a few of the stuffy onlookers joined him, marking down secret notes upon their clipboards. Mr Van Helising walked up to the boy, patting him on the back and bringing him into a fatherly embrace, “Brilliant work Adam, a perfect slaying. They’ll make you the youngest person to join our ranks I’m sure of it!” he was beaming, and Adam felt himself smile looking towards the ash that coated the ground.

“Where did you find her?” he gathered the ash into a small vial that he produced from his jacket pocket.

“The vampire you mean?” Van Helsing asked.

Adam rolled his eyes, “Yes the vampire.”

One of the suits cut in, a serve looking man whose bald head shone in the moonlight, “Picked that one up in Cardiff actually,” he looked down at the dust with disgust as Adam corked the vial that shimmered in the semi-darkness, “Congratulations Mr. Giles, in all my years I’ve never seen someone as green as you pull of such a clean slaying and so swiftly. You are now officially apart of the Slayers Guild. Drop by headquarters and we will have your ID ready,” the short man turned on his heel and walked away. Adam thought his face was going to split in his happiness, “Oh and Adam,” the man looked over his shoulder with a smile, “I just have one question. How did you see her?”

Adam just grinned, “I dunno sir. Always been good at seeing in the dark I guess.”

The bald man pushed his glasses up his nose and inclined his head with a smile, leaving the two in the forest alone.

“You know,” Mr Van Helsing sighed shaking his head, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man smile.”

Adam laughed at that, helping the man pack away the tent, his muscles sore from the exertion, “They did seem a bit stern. They always like that?”

Mr. Van Helsing shrugged, “Sometimes. I think a lot of them are just jealous you know…don’t get to be out in the field! Like we do!” he clapped Adam on the shoulder, “Come on let’s get you home, I’m sure your mum is excited to hear how you went!” Mr. Van Helsing said, swinging the tent bag over his shoulder.

Adam, smiled, putting the vial of ash back into his pocket and pushing the stake back up his sleeve, “Ah!” he hissed, as the skin split underneath the sharp point of the stake. Pulling up his sleeve quickly as blood pooled in his palm. Adam watched in detached fascination as the blood dripped from his fingertips in a steady rhythm.

“Jesus Adam! For the best slayer seen in the last century you’re so clumsy,” he put down his bag looking at the wound on his arm, the blood glistened like ink in the darkness, “You have to be careful with those things!” the man tutted as he looked at the white scars that littered the boy’s arm, all from stake accidents. He wrapped the wound in gauze tightly causing Adam to gasp, tearing him from his reverie.

“Yeah yeah, I know! It just happens. Maybe stakes hate me?” the boy said with mischief, pulling his arm out of the older man’s grasp.

Van Helising laughed, dragging him from the forest and to the car, “I don’t know if that’s possible! Stakes only hate vampires,” he turned the key and the engine coughed to life, the car shuddered as they took off down the pothole filled roads of Stokely. The churning in his gut made itself known in a sicking twist at the thought of vampires. His eyes caught the castle that loomed over the village like an unwanted storm cloud, where he knew they resided.

They came through the door of the Giles residence, met with the joyous shouts of his mother and sister. George’s curls bounced as she clapped running over to him, confetti falling from the ceiling in festive swirls around the smiling face of his mother.

“Congrats darling!” the soft eyes of mother met his as they hugged, he buried his head into the crook of her neck breathing in her comforting scent, “Fifteen and already a slayer,” she pulled back a small smile playing on her lips, “Your father would be so proud.”

Tears pricked his eyes at the thought of his father, if he were standing here in this room Adam was sure he would have been cheering the loudest.

“How did you know I passed?” Adam asked, ruffling his sister’s hair.

George just laughed, “Don’t think you would have been back so quick if you had failed,” she said, “Besides they would be mad to fail you!”

He smiled at that, looking around at his family, swimming in the warmth of their presence, “Well thank you for the vote of confidence.”

“He did very well Mrs. Giles,” Mr. Van Helsing said, shucking off his brown trench coat, “I’ve never seen such a natural in all my years of slaying!”

“It’s Sally, Eric! Come on let’s have some dinner and you can tell us all about it,” Sally said, dragging them into the kitchen to help her set the table. George was running around the house, yelling of her exploits as a future slayer and generally getting under foot with her boundless energy.

Dinner was warming, conversation flowed over Adam like waves and despite its raucous nature it calmed him, knowing that his family was safe for tonight. Mr. Van Helsing gave his mum and George a dramatic retelling of the test, using the large mash potato spoon as an impromptu stake. It seemed that there was a lot more screaming on the vampire’s behalf than there actually had been, but Adam didn’t mind letting the older slayer have his fun. Pride shone from the man like a beacon, he had trained Adam after all.

The night came to a close with little fanfare. Mr. Van Helsing left with a wave, saying that he had to go to sleep early as there was a teacher meeting in the morning.

George giggled as she turned to Adam, “My big brother, a big scary slayer now!” she flexed her muscles and pulled a face at him that he returned by sticking out his tongue, “Mum can we have some ice cream?” she said to her mouth begging with a pout.

Sally sighed with a smile, “Sure, just not too much! It’s technically a weekday and you both have school in the morning!” both kids ran to the freezer, pulling out the chocolate ice-cream with eager fingers, “I’m going to bed, I’m exhausted. Just make sure you wash the bowls when you’re done.”

“Yes mum!” the two chorused as Sally walked up the stairs, scrubbing some dry paint off her face.

The two sat on the couch, snuggling up under the blanket. Adam knew that many of the boys at his school would think it was really uncool how close he was to his little sister, but he didn’t care for the opinion of teenage boys anyway. George was a shining light in his life, she was in many ways his exact opposite, all fizz and fun, while he tended to shy away from attention as much as he could. They even looked pretty different, same funny ears and puckish noses but George had a slight tan from their beach days, while Adam just turned into a human lobster before fading back to milk white. It was a genetic trick that he was quite annoyed at, wishing he could catch at least a little bit of the sun’s rays upon his skin.

She looked at him, her eyes shining in the artificial light of the lamp light, “What do you think dad would say if he were here?” she whispered, holding onto her bowl tightly as if it might disappear.

Adam gulped, staring down into the brown mush of his ice-cream, the words stuck in his throat. He knew what he should say, something about how proud he would be but in some ways, he resented his father; he had died at the hand of a vampire. He had dragged them into a life, into a world that was darker than any of them could have imagined. His father had left him a job to do now, targets were drawn upon his family’s back and in a way his father had drawn them with his own hand.

He sighed and pulled her into a hug against his side, “I think dad,” he lifted her chin with his finger so she would meet his eyes, “would be very proud of all of us but especially you! You’re the brains of the whole operation!” he said grinning.

George groaned, “Aaadam!” a giggle escaped her lips, “get you’re freezing hands off me,” she shoved him away.

“I’m serious George! I might be a slayer now, but you have to be the cleverest girl to ever,” he put down his bowl in preparation for his attack, “live!” he tickled her side holding her in place as she squirmed and shrieked pushing him off her and taking a lungful of air.

“Adam,” she gasped, laughter bubbling up from between her lips as she fell onto the floor, “Please stop!”

He raised his hands, “All right, All right. I’ve stopped.”

She settled back on the couch, eyeing him the mischievous wariness. They settled down again, finishing their ice-cream in comfortable silence.

“Thanks Adam, I think I needed to hear that,” George said, grabbing both of their bowls and placing them in the sink, the rush of water filling the silence for a moment, “I just wish he was here.”

Adam thought that sometimes she acted far too old for her age, he stopped her hands and took the dish brush from her, “Me too. How about you go up to bed and I’ll finish up down here?”

George just nodded, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she turned and walked up the stairs. Adam slowly did the dishes, letting the water warm his hands and chase away the perpetual chill that lingered there. His thoughts strayed, wandering through his promise to his father the last time he saw him alive. He had made him vow to protect his mother and his sister. At the time he thought it was a little archaic of him to think that his mother and his sister couldn’t protect themselves. But that promise had seared itself into his skin after the death of his father. He could not disappoint him, even if it was just his memory.

Adam finished the dishes and dried his hands on one of their novelty holiday tea towels. Creeping upstairs, Adam quickly got ready for bed and checked all of the window locks. The locks themselves were nothing to a vampire however, the Argentillium glaze upon the glass would definitely make any balk away from their house.

Padding into his room he relished in the quiet. Robin had said once that the cleanliness of the space had freaked him out, but that was coming from a boy who didn’t quite know what laundry was. Adam kicked off his shoes and pulled the vial of dust out of his jacket, holding it as if it were a holy relic and in some ways it was. He first slay of many, or at least he hoped so.

It had been drilled into him that vampires were unfeeling creatures, worth less than mercy and he believed it, but the vampire they had chosen looked about his age. It was in hindsight probably intentional, to make sure he didn’t fault. She had been scared and alone when she had died, her eyes were dark pools of terror that he had only seen for a split second. It didn’t feel like murder, he was sure of that, there was no tidal wave of guilt, but it was more like a dripping tap. Each flash of the pale skin ripping under his stake left him feeling just a fraction colder.

He shook the thought of her head and placed the ashes upon his dresser, it was his first slay, but he was sure it would not be his last.

* * *

Robin, Adam and Jonno were the three misfits of their grade and they knew it, or at least the other kids at school made sure they knew it. Adam was admittedly larger than many of the kids in his grade, going through his growth spurt early which kept many of the kids off their backs. But a few pegged his shy, non-confrontational nature and still tried it on sometimes.

“Oi bat boy!” Tommo yelled, his face was about as handsome as oatmeal, but he towered over Robin, bumping his chest into the boy.

Adam just sighed, they had only just walked into the school, “Lay off him Thomas,” he growled, making sure to lace his voice with threat.

“Oh yeah and what are you going to do about it Giles?” the boy said, turning on him poking a finger into his chest.

“Come on guys,” Jonno said, looking around the gates for teachers, “Let’s just go, he’s not worth it,” he grabbed the backs of the boy’s blazers and pulled them towards the large glass door.

“I don’t think so,” Tommo grabbed Adam with a meaty paw, pulling him back towards him. Adam just groaned in annoyance, which caused Tommo to go a bright shade of puce, “Gotta show this freak some respect,” he raised his fist and brought it down to Adam’s face. Eyes widening minutely, he dodged the blow the boys knuckles barely grazing his cheek.

He crouched down out of Tommo's grip and in a flash he pulled the boy’s arm behind his back easily, making the larger boy buckle to his knees in front of him with little effort. It was as if his limbs were moving like water, the smooth movements of his muscles quickly incapacitating the larger boy. He felt something crow within his as he subdued his victim. _Victim?_

A few onlookers watched Adam warily and he whispered, “You going to leave us alone now Thomas?” hissing into his ear, “Or do you want more people to see that you got beaten by me?”

The older boy growled, his body shaking, “Go fu—”

“What is the meaning of this!?” a voice bellowed from the entrance and Adam felt his heart sink, his eyes trailing up the stairs to see Mr. Van Helsing looking down at him as if the devil had just walked up to him and spit on his shoe.

“Adam! Thomas! My office now!” he seethed, obviously struggling to keep the anger out of his voice. Adam shot Jonno a pleading look, but the darker boy just shrugged, Robin gave him a subtle thumbs up and a wink. Just typical.

He trudged up the stairs, making sure to steer clear of the large boy who was side eyeing him with murderous intent. The hallways were aflame with whispers as they walked by, some pointed at Adam’s face. He lifted shaking fingers to his cheekbone, his fingers came away wet and bloody, but it wasn’t the crimson that he was so used to seeing. Swirling within the red there were veins and whirls of what looked to be ink hidden before the crimson surface tension. He grabbed the cuff of his sleeve and pressed it into the small wound on instinct, making sure to apply pressure as they walked.

Coming to Mr. Van Helsing’s office he pulled his hand away, the stain on the white fabric was nearly black, much to his horror and he tucked the sleeve under his blazer. He hoped that he had staunched the bleeding well enough to avoid questioning. He did not plan on seeing the mad school nurse thank you very much.

Van Helising pointed at the two threadbare chairs that sat in front of his sparse desk. Adam had spent a lot of time here through the years, training and learning with his mentor, the familiar scent of garlic hung cloying in the air leaving him feeling slightly ill. He had never liked the smell, despite the bulb’s usefulness. He sat on the chair next to the window, looking out to the grey broiling clouds, waiting for the rapture of Van Helsing’s speech on discipline.

“So, either one of you want to tell me what happened out there?” Van Helising said, swooping in front of them and leaning back on his desk with an air of informality despite the steel in his voice.

Adam kept quiet, resolutely staring out the window, unable to meet Mr. Van Helsing’s eyes.

“It was Giles sir!” Tommo piped up, holding his arm with pain stricken across his face, “He just went mad and attacked me! I didn’t do nothing sir!” 

“Is this true Adam? Did you attack this boy?” he asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

Adam just nodded, even Tommo’s head swivelled at that as he stared at Adam who just hung his head.

Van Helsing stuttered bug eyed, “Right, Thomas you may leave. Get out of my sight and I better not see you in this office again,” he said, and the boy bolted from the room as if he had been shocked. Van Helsing sighed wearily, and Adam felt his stomach flip with guilt. He knew that his mentor had been awake at the crack of dawn for the teacher’s meeting and he had just given him much more work. Van Helsing looked him over, “Did Thomas give you that?” pointing at his cheek. Adam nodded tightly, feeling a headache bloom in his temples. Van Helsing stood from his position, “Then why didn’t you say? Why did you let him get away with it?” he gestured wildly to the door that Tommo had just disappeared out of.

“Because,” Adam hissed, causing Van Helsing to take an involuntary step back, “I let him get to me and I shouldn’t have let him. He’s a child!”

“You’re a child Adam! I respect your decision but it’s frankly too bloody noble of you!” Van Helsing said, “What would your mother think? Huh?”

Adam stood from his seat, his control snapping like bands in his chest, “Don’t bring my mother into this! If he got in trouble, he would just attack Robin and Jonno at the next opportunity he got. What if I wasn’t around?! It’s just best he thought he'd won.”

Van Helsing looked at Adam, watching him as his breath came in short gasps, “This is a schoolyard bully not some vampire Adam.”

“I know just…” Adam scrubbed his face, “I just lost it okay and I can’t —I can’t just attack people when they’re mean to my friends can you just…give me a detention or something?”

“Right, just come back here in the afternoon, I’ll let you off with a warning this time okay. Just don’t do it again,” Van Helsing said, hanging his head as he went behind his desk shuffling papers.

Adam bobbed his head and stood from his seat; his limbs felt heavy as he dragged himself through the door. Clinging onto the door frame he leaned back into the office for a moment, as Van Helsing’s head snapped up towards him, “I’m really sorry.”

“I know Adam, just…get to class.”

He rushed out of the room, stones rolling in his stomach as the sound of his footsteps clashed loudly in his mind and the air stuffed itself hotly down his throat leaving him breathless. Barging into the bathroom the fluorescent lights were nearly blinding and dark spots danced in his eyes as he splashed his face with water trying to chase away the heat that clawed at his skin. Looking up into the mirror he saw his own pale reflection, inspecting his face he noticed the scratch Thomas had gifted him had disappeared. _What was wrong with him?_

With a woozy roll in his stomach, he promptly fainted.


	2. Incubuses and Imaginings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam is thrown into horrifying dreams that plague him during school hours. He turns to his friends for help in the hopes of shedding light upon these terrifying dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter of The Slaying of Adam Giles. We've got a bit more Robin in this episode! I really loved Robin in the show, I think I really resonated with him when I watched the show ages ago! 
> 
> Anyway! Onto the chapter!

Chapter 2

_The caustic scent of smoke hit his nose first, sneaking into the inky darkness that consumed his vision. His body was floating in a calm sea constructed completely of unfathomable ether, but still, it burnt through his lungs, wrenching him from the depthless black into bright feathered lights._

_Great green and brown beasts rose around him, their arms upturned to the sky casting long shadows across the ground. His eyes flicked around in panic searching for the flame that had brought him to his senses within this forest. But there were signs of a blaze within the tree line but there was a sting, searing, and sizzling at his leg. He looked down at his jeans that lay in the rays of sunlight and found them to be ablaze. The yell ripped from his lip as he reeled back into the shadow of the tree, the rough bark grinding against his back._

_He batted at the flames that tore across his skin like hungry fingers, hissing as they receded. His skin was left raw and burnt around his ankle, his jeans were a scorched mess of black fabric._

_“Adam!” a familiar voice skittered across the air barely above a whisper. Adams' head whipped around to see a flickering image of Robin appear before him, wearing a snow-white robe that reflected the sun that danced around them in golden eddies._

_“Robin…? Is that you? You look a right state in that get up mate. What are you doing?”_

_“They’re coming!” the boy whispered, his eyes glued to the tree line across the clearing._

_Adam followed his sightline, seeing only the slight sway of the trees, “Who are coming?”_

_“Slayers,” the boy hissed, as if the word lay foul upon his tongue._

_“Ok-ay…and?” Adam asked, pulling himself to his feet, he leaned against the rough bark of the tree for support. The sound of rushed footsteps battered against his ears, the shush of fabric murmuring in the breeze. Adam took an instinctual step back, fear rising in his chest like a beast that raked at the inside of his ribs._

_Adam heard it before his eyes caught up, the familiar hiss of a stake flying through the air, coming from nowhere, blurring through air. It dug itself into the tree behind him, splintering the wood of the trunk with a crunch as Adam whipped around with a cry, it had barely missed him, but the pain bloomed from his side where the splinters of wood had sliced him. A trickle of dark blood made its way down his ribs and soaked his clothes._

_“For the love of garlic!” he yelled, turning to where the stake had been thrown from to find himself surrounded by familiar figures in brown cloaks, their faces twisted with malice. His mother stood at the center; her eyes hard as she watched him, in her hand was a wicked stake. He could smell the garlic that lathered the wood, leaving it glistening in the sunlight. To her left Chloe and George stood together, their cloaks nearly dragging upon the ground as they watched him with bared teeth. Adam balked at the sight of the Van Helsings, father and son bathed in sunlight, only Mr. Van Helsing was void of a weapon, pulling a crossbow out from without the shadowed depths of his cape._

_“Vampire!” they yelled in unison, closing in. Adam’s eyes widened as they stalked towards him, he looked in confusion towards Robin, who watched the scene apathetically, his eyes a glazed grey. He was sure his heart should be beating out of his chest, but there was no familiar thrum of blood through his limbs_

_“Run,” Robin whispered as his image dissipated leaving the forest staring back at Adam._

_His feet moved before he commanded them to, turning and running from the impending doom of the stakes that hung behind him in the hands of his family. The trees blurred around him in a verdant blur, leaving him dizzy as he jumped over a log, his foot catching upon a stray branch as the ground jumped up to meet him._

“AH!” Adam woke with a start, the cool of tiles were flush against his skin as his heart hammered in his chest as he scrambled to his feet and stared at himself in the mirror. His face was slick with sweat, his eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed. He reeled back in horror at the sight of himself, patting his hair back down from its messy state.

“You alright Adam?” a familiar voice asked.

Adam jumped back in fright, knocking painfully into the metal sink at the sight of Robin, “R-Robin? What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice shaking.

Robin just rolled his eyes, “Looking for you, you nonce. Bell’s gonna ring soon and I wanted to make sure you’d gotten out of Van Helsing’s office in one piece. But it looks like he took a chunk out of you the way you’re acting. What happened?”

Adam shook himself, tearing his eyes away from his reflection and to his friend, the concern coming off him in waves, “I-I don’t know. I talked to Van Helsing and—ah,” he looked down at his side, pain lancing through his body and he noticed the shirt of his school uniform soaked on his left side in dark blood, like an inkblot, “What the in the name of…”

Robin surged forward, looking at the wound with worry, “We need to get you to the nurse—”

“No! I’ll just—” Adam looked around in a panic, shucking off his jacket he grabbed some hand towel from above the sink and pulled up his shirt to expose the deep scratches that raced across his side in three deep slashes. He blot at the wounds with a hiss, “see all better,” he chucked the towel in the bin and looked through his back for his emergency first aid kit, standard fair in his line of work. The little green box had hidden itself at the bottom of his back but with some coaxing, he pulled it out, the wound on his side protesting with the sudden movement, “Could you put one of the larger bandages on it, Robin?” 

He looked over at his gaping friend, the fluorescent lighting of the bathroom making him look sickly pale, “Sure Adam,” his voice shook as he walked over and opened the small box, rustling around until he found the soft fabric, “Why have you even got this in your bag?” he asked.

“Oh um…mum gets really paranoid about my safety and makes me carry it around,” Adam lied, he felt bad for it, but the boy liked vampires too much for him to know about Adam’s extracurricular activities. 

Robin nodded, “Ah that makes sense,” he said as he placed the bandage onto Adam’s wounds with gentle hands, “Right well that should do it,” the bell rang out, tearing through the tension between the two boys.

Adam grabbed the first aid kit out of Robin’s hands, “Thanks Robin, I really appreciate it. I dunno what happened,” he scrubbed his eyes, willing the spots out of his vision. Putting the first aid kit away, Adam put his blazer back on with a wince, making sure to button it up.

The two walked through the emptying halls towards their first class. Adam could feel the burn around his ankle itch with the swish of his polyester pant against the tender skin. He grit his teeth, making sure to keep his face empty of pain, not wanting to freak Robin out anymore. 

“Yeah you didn’t say what happened,” Robin said looking towards his friend, “You were on the floor and I tried to wake you up but...you wouldn’t wake. I thought you were dead for a second there.”

Adam looked at his hands for a moment, his steps echoing across the lino, “I think I fainted and then I had a really weird dream. You were in it actually…look can I tell you at lunch?”

Robin rolled his eyes, “Sure Adam, I know how much you _love_ double maths,” he said with sarcasm dripping from every word as he opened the door to the dull drone of Mr. Harker. The two boys quickly found their seats, ignoring the stare the man gave them as they sat.

Adam truly despised anything to do with maths, the numbers never really went in, just jumbling in his mind like an incredibly difficult jigsaw. The rhythmic scrape of the chalk up on the board and the scratch of pens on paper swirled in his mind.

He could feel his eyelids growing heavy, he struggled against them, straining his eyes to stop the numbers from swimming in front of them. Shadows danced at the edges of his vision, slowly knitting together the classroom wavering in front of him.

_Blinking he rubbed his eyes, as Mr. Harker’s deadened voice came back into focus, “The best way to bite a breather is at a forty-three degree angle,” Adam jumped back nearly falling from his seat. The air around him was cold, as if he had been dumped into a refrigerator. Adam glanced towards Mr Harker, who was smiling with all of his teeth, fangs dripping with ruby red blood, “Isn’t that right, Adam?” ink seemed to spread across his eyes as he turned on the boy hissing._

_Horror sung through his body as his classmates turned to him, fangs bared, he swiveled into his chair to where he knew Robin was sitting but the boy had disappeared. A thought flickered through his head, knowing that Robin would be annoyed that he was featured as a vampire in his dreams._

_“Adam!” Robin towered over the room, standing upon the teacher's desk, again clad in robes of white, “Are you listening?”_

_Adam shook his head, trying to banish the vision, “What?”_

_“Are you listening?”_

“Adam! Are you listening? Adam!” A crack sounded next to his ear like thunder as his body sprung up, his books clattering to the floor as he came face to face with the sallow Mr. Harker, his hands on his desk, “Seems to me Giles that you think you can take a nap in my class eh?” he asked. Adam just shook his head, blinking in confusion as he looked around at his staring classmates, now lacking in fangs and looking thoroughly amused, “Make sure it doesn’t happen again Giles or you’ll be off to the principal…you understand?”

“Yes sir.”

Mr. Harker turned back to the board, as tittering whispers flitted through the room, Adam felt a blush heat his cheeks, glad for the hammering of his heart that beat against his chest once more as he picked up his books from the floor.

“Adam,” Robin whispered across from him, “What’s gotten into you? You just fell asleep.”

Sighing Adam replied, “I don’t know. We can talk about it later.”

The class passed in a slow trudge. Adam could barely keep up with content normally, but now it all seemed garbled with images of brown cloaks and wicked stakes that descended through dappled sunlight.

He found himself doodling in the margins, trees forming under his pencil, unguided by his mind, wolves ran clumsily through the scene, shifting to bats, their wings nearly translucent under the light of the moon and then to people their hair streaming out behind them like ribbons. Gazing at the image he hadn’t even realised he had drawn, the familiar disjointed sensation sunk into his bones. Something wasn’t right.

Adam jumped as the bell and the spell cast by his pencil was broken. Shutting his books with haste he tore out of the classroom with Robin hot on his heels.

“Adam! Wait up!” Robin said rushing up behind his, “You alright mate. You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

Adam just laughed, “I feel like I may as well as done, I don’t know it was so weird,” he said rubbing his eyes, “Let's go outside. I don’t think this is something Jono would be interested in hearing anyway.”

Adam pulled him out into the watery sunlight of Stokely Grammar, out onto the asphalt and away from the other students. Robin tripped over his feet at the speed, grumbling in complaint as Adam took him behind the bushes near the wire-link fence.

“Adam! Jeez I don’t think falling asleep is enough of an excuse to pull me all the way out here,” Robin said with a laugh.

Rolling his eyes Adam sat on the ground, patting the space next to him, “It’s not the falling asleep that worries me. It’s what happened in the dream, it really scared me Robin,” he whispered, wringing his hands.

“What happened?” Robin asked, taking his seat by his side as he pulled his knees up to his chin, wrapping his arms around his legs.

“Do you promise not to tell anyone?” Adam asked. Robin turned to him, his mouth agape as he giggled, “I’m _serious_ Robin, swear on your mother’s grave that you won’t tell a soul _especially_ Jono.”

“Alright Alright, I swear I won’t tell anyone. Can we stop with all the cloak and dagger stuff now?” he said with a smirk, holding upon his own cape around his eyes, wiggling his eyebrows in the process.

Adam chuckled at his friend, “Look Robin just promise you won’t freak out or anything but,” he sighed, taking a deep breath he let the little ball of tension in his chest go, “So, I had a dream where I was a vampire and there were slayers and then everyone was vampires and you were like this sensei kind of guy which was really strange but I don’t know it was so real you know,” it all tumbled out of his mouth like a deluge, a weight lifting off his shoulders.

“Oh man wait, so in your dream, _you_ got to be a vampire, everyone got to be vampires except me?” Robin complained, kicking at the dirt with his shoe, “Well that just sucks.”

Rolling his eyes Adam said, “Isn’t that the point?”

Robin laughed, “I guess so, but Adam why is this such a problem? Like…it was just a dream.”

Adam shuddered at the thought, it had felt so real, the taste of fear in the air as he ran had been so palpable, “I guess so. But Robin the slayers, they were my family, like mum and George and they attacked me with stakes!”

“Yeah I’ve had that dream before,” Robin said, his eyes were glazed over and a small smile played at his lips. 

“Robin this is serious!” Adam said scandalised, turning to his friend, “When they attacked me, they did this,” he pointed to his side, the ache had mostly subsided through the class. He lifted his shirt to see the bandage had nearly soaked through, marred with dark ichor that was splattered across the white cloth.

“That is weird but we should probably replace that bandage I reckon,” Robin said, leaning forward to look closer, “Don’t want you to be getting blood everywhere. Maybe you’ll want to suck your own blood?” he said with a light laugh.

Adam looked at him murderously, “I’m not a vampire,” he spat.

“I was just joking,” Robin said, “you probably just got this from falling over in the bathroom on the sink or something,” he mumbled, “Besides it wouldn’t be so terrible to be a vampire would it?”

“It would literally be, the worst thing that could ever happen to me actually Robin,” Adam said, lifting the sides of the bandage with a wince, “Could you get the first aid kit out of my bag please Rob?”

“Yeah yeah one sec,” the boy grabbed the backpack rifling through it. Adam felt a surge of nerves, hoping that Robin didn’t find the stake that he had hidden in the zipper pocket along with a few bulbs of garlic. It was nearly invisible unless you knew what you were looking for, “I can’t find it Adam, you’ve got so many books in here you swot.” He said with a laugh.

“I’ll just get it, give it here,” Adam said in alarm reaching for the bag.

“Nah it’s—” Robin coughed on his words as Adam heard the tell-tale sound of a screeching zipper.

“Robin don’t!” Adam cried, reaching for the bag with clumsy hands before Robin snatched it away from him.

“Adam what is this?” the boy whispered, a tremor in his voice and he held the dark wood of the stake in his hand.

Adam felt a shudder of revulsion flow through his body at the look on the boy’s face, “I think you know what that is Robin,” he took his backpack out of the boy’s lap and pulled out the first aid kit that had been sitting under his history textbook. He opened it with vicious intent, his mind whirling as he opened the new bandage with a satisfying rip.

“But why do you have it?” Robin asked, watching as Adam pulled the bandage to reveal three pink scratches across his side, “Wait Adam! The scratches they’re nearly gone!” he said, his warm fingers assailed his skin, tracing the thin lines. 

“What?!” Adam twisted around, staring down at the wounds that were smeared with dark, dried blood, finding them nearly completely scabbed over, pink tissue already peeking out from under the cracked flakes of skin.

“Slayers got some sort of healing ability?” Robin asked and Adam’s head whipped up staring into the accusing face of his best friend, “Why didn’t you tell me?” he seethed.

“Because,” Adam said, wrapping the used bandage up and placing it in the bin near them, “I know how much you love vampires, I didn’t want you to hate me!”

Robin smirked at that, “I mean, vampires are cool and all that but being a slayer is just as cool…wait does that mean vampires are actually really real?!” he shouted, a smile peeling across his face, “Have you ever met one? Oh Jesus! Have you ever slayed one!? How are you a slayer anyways you’re like fifteen? There’s got to be a law against that!”

“Can you just keep it down! I don’t need the whole of Stokely knowing I’m a slayer!” Adam hissed, ripping the stake out of the other boy’s hands as if it would burn him.

“So, you admit it?” Robin was nearly leering at the boy, his dark eyes wide as he backed up slightly, “You don’t think I’m a vampire, do you? Cause I promise I ain’t!”

“I know that Robin! And of course, I admit it, I wouldn’t be carrying around a stake just for the fun of it, now would I?” Adam sighed heavily, pushing his shirt back down, wondering how he was going to explain it to his mother.

“So, it literally would be the worst thing in the world if you were a vampire I guess?” Robin smirked, “That would be wicked though!”

“It wouldn’t be wicked at all Robin! Vampires are evil, soulless creatures! I’m not a vampire! I have two human parents to prove it! I think the dreams must be just some sleep deprivation thing. I was up pretty late last night,” he hedged, curling in on himself as he stared out at the rugby field.

“Yeah maybe…anyways! Answer my questions,” Robin whinged, shaking Adam’s shoulder with a smile, “Ever met a vampire?”

“Yes,” Adam said plainly, he could feel ice forming in his belly at the thought, the sigh of midnight hair against the cool night air resonated in his mind.

“Ever slayed a vampire?” Robin asked his eyes wide at the thought as he clutched his cape.

“Yes,” Adam stared down at the stake in his hands, the polished wood gleamed in the sun, the dark veins that spread through the wood nearly shifting as he turned it over in his hands.

“When?” Robin asked, excitement laced through his voice as he seemed to bounce in his sitting position.

Adam smirked feeling that trickle of guilt slide into his stomach in oily ropes, “Last night.”

“No way!” Robin gasped.

“Yes way,” Adam intoned, stuffing the stake back into his back, the sight of it nearly making his stomach roll.

Robin froze for a moment, staring down at his pale hands, “What was it like?” his voice was hoarse and quiet, muffled in the slight breeze.

Adam drew up short, thinking back to the darkness of the forest, the twisting of excitement in his gut as his stake slid through the vampire’s ribs, “It was…thrilling at first, the chase you know—”

“Wait let me get this straight,” Robin said in disbelief, his eyebrows nearly disappearing behind his fringe, “You, Adam Giles, _chased_ down a vampire?”

“W-well not exactly, she—”

“She! You killed a girl?” Robin interrupted, aghast.

“I slayed a vampire! I didn’t kill a girl, I wouldn’t kill _a person,”_ heat spread through his chest at Robin’s words, it stung the thought of killing, the thought that Robin would consider him to be a killer, “Look let me explain alright! Stop interrupting!” he said hotly.

“Sorry,” Robin mumbled as he fiddled with his sleeve, eyes flicking away from Adam’s and a blush colouring his cheeks.

“The Guild, they…they catch a vampire for your test. They drop them somewhere and make sure they can’t escape from the general vicinity. They normally put a UV cage around the area or something. Then you hunt, I didn’t chase the vampire so much as find her and surprise her…it was shockingly easy actually,” Adam hummed, he had remembered the looked no the vampires face as he had driven his stake through her heart, all desperation and fear like some kind of carnival mask that twisted her face up nearly comically in her last moments.

“So, there’s a guild? A whole group of you?” Robin questioned, he looked nearly frenzied with curiosity. 

“Yes, but you can’t tell anyone!” Adam frowned at the boy, hoping that the gravity of the situation was conveyed. Adam could not believe how stupid he had been, first day as a real slayer and he had already messed it up royally.

“I won’t obviously…you’re secret’s safe with me. Wait Adam…why are you here, not like at school but if you’re a slayer shouldn’t you be out finding vampires? Are there vampires in Stokely!? Who are they?”

Adam swallowed thickly, “I can’t tell you that,” he whispered, he pinched the skin of his arms, rolling the flesh between his fingers in his attempts to keep his face impassive.

“What? Adam are you serious?” Robin said, jumping to his feet, “Come on! Why not?” he groused, crossing his arms in front of his chest, his cape falling around him in the breeze like a shadow.

“Because Robin, you love vampires. Knowing anything more would put you in more danger than you’re already in! Besides…” Adam sighed, looking up at his friend’s frustrated expression, “I know you. If I told you, you’ll try and find them. Probably try and make friends with them knowing you and I can’t risk that,” Robin smiled lightly at that.

“Aie, you’re not wrong there. Alright man. Sorry, this is just…wow,” Robin said, sitting back down with a whoosh of air. 

“I know,” Adam chuckled, his thoughts swirling back to his introduction to the darkness of the world that hung around them like fog. It was always there, in the corner of their vision as his father had said--those shadows that wanted nothing but your blood and your screams. At least Robin needn’t ever see a vampire, his knowledge of their existence would remain purely theoretical as much as Adam could help it. 

“Why do it though?” Robin asked. He seemed more relaxed now, digging through his back and pulling out a plastic wrapped sandwich that he munched on with slapping lips.

Knowing this was not going to be a pleasant conversation Adam steeled himself. He kept the skin of his arm between his fingers and he pressed harder, the stinging waves grounding him as he spoke, “You remember how I told you about the car crash my dad was in a few years back?”

Robin’s head shot up at that, “You’re not telling me it was…”

“It was,” his head dropped as he whispered, “He was a slayer and he went out one day and never came back. The Guild told us what happened a few days later.” Adam could nearly see his father’s face in front of him, the exact shade of his sun-kissed skin and the light blues of his eyes like a shallow ocean shoal. Adam looked over to Robin, whose skin had gone a deathly pale, somewhat green like spoilt milk and his hands were shaking.

“So, you decided to become a slayer?” Robin asked, there was a tinge of accusation in his voice, “When his job literally killed him.”

“I had to. It was what he would have wanted,” Adam whispered, the words stuck in his throat like taffy as he forced them out.

Robin’s eyes were shining, “How old were you when you joined do you think? Did you even want to?”

“I-I was twelve, they’ve started taking slayers in a lot earlier than they used to. I’ve had a lot of private tuition though, so I think that’s why they made me a full slayer I guess. As for wanting it,” Adam thought for a moment, pausing. He couldn’t remember wanting it exactly, no one wants to be a slayer, but his body had burned with need when he was younger. Something that itched below his skin like embers, begging for revenge or justice or just something else other than sorrow. He looked back at the boy, “I-I don’t know if I wanted to do it, to do what I do, but I needed to.”

Robin’s head bobbed sluggishly, his eyes scanning the middle distance, “So there’s another slayer about then?” Adam shrugged, Robin just gave a world weary sigh, it was the most serious Adam had ever seen the boy, “Does Jono know his dad’s a slayer?”

Spluttering Adam stifled a gasp, “What?”

Robin laughed faintly, the colour was returning a little to his cheeks, “I mean it’s pretty obvious. All those afternoon woodwork sessions make sense now. ‘sides, you’re useless at woodwork anyways.”

Adam laughed, it was a full-bellied thing that tinkled on the air lightly, lifting the tension from the boys that hung around them like a cloying smoke, “Of course that’s what you would notice. Jono knows, but he doesn’t believe, quite a sore spot for Eric actually. You’re not as half stupid as you look Branaugh!”

“Oi!” Robin sniggered as he punched Adam lightly on the arm.

The bell rang out calling them back to their classrooms with it’s bellowing tune. Both boys grumbled, pulling themselves from the ground. Adam watched the other students stream back into the brick prison of Stokely Grammar, their blue blazers looked like little streams as they merged together in lines. As they walked the hulking mass of Tommo cast a shadow over them, his gait lumbered but it didn’t seem that he had noticed them, his eyes were glued to the door.

Adam stiffened at the sight of the boy, making sure to keep his fists clenched and his eyes down. Robin, on the other hand, did not appear to be fairing as well, his nose was scrunched up and his lips were a harsh line as he looked up at the bully. His heated gaze caught Tommo’s attention, who’s beastly head turned to them, a frown flitted across his face as his eyes met Adam’s, their beady depths giving nothing away. They stared at one another for a moment before the older boy nodded his head and moved away without a word.

“Woah! Are you like the bully whisperer or something?” Robin asked as he watched Tommo’s retreating back.

“I dunno,” Adam said, confusion muddling his thoughts.

“Come on let’s get to class bat brain,” Robin said with a smirk.

“Oi!” Adam swatted the back of his head as they walked into the biology classroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! Let me know what you thought!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! This probably won't be my main writing focus at the moment as I'm writing The Rising Sun at the same time as this but who knows...let me know if you liked this story and if you want it to continue. 
> 
> Ta ta for now!


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